This download is created by Autism Classroom News, which is not affiliated with AutismProblemBehavior.com. If you like this free download, you can find more of their materials here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Autism-Classroom-News-christine-Reeve
Here are are some cute and free token economy boards! One is a princess theme and the other is a train theme. The boards also include pictures of some rewards students can work for. You can download the token boards here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Token-Boards-The-Princess-and-the-Train-Autism-641153 This download is created by Autism Classroom News, which is not affiliated with AutismProblemBehavior.com. If you like this free download, you can find more of their materials here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Autism-Classroom-News-christine-Reeve So, what is a token economy and how do you use one? Check out this post from AutismProblemBehavior.com: http://autismproblembehavior.weebly.com/blog/improving-behavior-through-token-economies
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A break from school is a change in routine that may be difficult for students with autism to understand and deal with. A social story provides a simple and reassuring way to explain this change. The text is supported by pictures, making it easier for a child with autism to understand. Reading a social story with a child with autism before an upcoming event helps reduce anxiety and let the child know what to expect. Click the image below for a free social story about spring break from school.
In school and in-home based therapy programs, children with autism are sometimes doing activities that they probably would rather not be doing. We have probably all witnessed a child with autism have problem behavior when they've had too much of an activity. Perhaps the activity is very difficult, perhaps the child is having sensory issues, etc. There are many reasons why a child may want to end with an activity. We also know that children with autism often struggle with communication. If they don't have another way to communicate, children may use problem behavior to make the activity end. It's really difficult to continue an activity if the child is screaming and kicking (for example). So, problem behavior is actually a quick and effective way for the child to escape from the activity. This is not to say that the child is being manipulative. I believe that sometimes problem behavior is the only way the child has to tell you, "I need this activity to stop now!" So, what we need to do is teach another way for children to tell you that. The first thing I would encourage you to do is observe the child for any signs that they are getting overwhelmed, overstimulated, or upset. A child may start fidgeting, may start asking for favorite toys, may start to get up and try to walk away from the activity area, etc. In other words, are there any precursors to your child's problem behavior? The next step is to give your child another way to ask for a break without using problem behavior. It should be as fast and effective as he problem behavior. That is, give your child a break as soon as he or she asks appropriately! When you notice any of the precursors, you can tell your child, "If you need a break, you can ask for one." If your child is verbal, you can just tell them the words to say. Depending on your child's current verbal skills, you can use various phrases to request a break, but try to pick one and use it consistently when first teaching your child to ask for a break. Some examples are:
If your child isn't verbal, you can have them give you a card that says, "Break" or "I need a break." When you are first teaching your child to use the card, you may need to do some prompting. Leave the card near the child where he or she can easily reach it during the activity. When you start to notice any precursors to the problem behavior, say, "We can take a break," or "You can ask for a break." Then, gently take the child's hand and physically guide him to give the break card to you. When you take the card, give the child a break immediately.
Of course, you'll want the child to give you the card without help eventually. After you've practiced for a little while physically guiding your child to give you the card, try to back off your prompt. You might just guide your child's hand to the picture, and then let him hand it to you. After he can do this, you might just point to the card. Eventually, you'll want to stop doing that too, so that the child can ask for a break totally independently. This post should not be taken as specific advice for any situation. Please consult a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) to help with doing this with your child. If you'd like to learn more about the idea of replacing problem behaviors with communication, please visit Positively Autism's ABA Tutorial. Here are some links where you can download and print free break cards: http://www.positivelyautism.com/downloads/BreakCards1.pdf http://www.positivelyautism.com/downloads/BreakCards2.pdf http://www.positivelyautism.com/downloads/BreakCards3.pdf http://www.positivelyautism.com/downloads/BreakCards4.pdf http://www.positivelyautism.com/downloads/BreakCards5.pdf A break from school is a change in routine that may be difficult for students with autism to understand and deal with. A social story provides a simple and reassuring way to explain this change. The text is supported by pictures, making it easier for a child with autism to understand. Reading a social story with a child with autism before an upcoming event helps reduce anxiety and let the child know what to expect. Click the image below for a free social story about an upcoming winter break from school. This social narrative (another term for social story) is made by Autism Classroom News, which is not affiliated with AutismProblemBehavior.com. If you like this story, you can find more of their resources by following Autism Classroom News on Facebook or TeachersPayTeachers.
Here are some free sticker charts for reinforcing your students during the holidays! If you like these, you might also like this token economy board: Here's how to use token economy boards for students with autism: http://autismproblembehavior.weebly.com/blog/improving-behavior-through-token-economies
Contingency Maps are a great visual and cognitive-behavioral tool for helping a person see the consequences of both positive behavior and "problem" behavior. In using this to show what happens with certain (such as a reward or punishment), we help equip students to make good behavioral choices. Contingency Maps work well for students who are verbal and have some reading and reading comprehension skills. You can download the Contingency Maps for free by clicking on the image below. Instructions for using the maps are included in the download. These Contingency Maps are created by Autism Classroom News, which is not affiliated with AutismProblemBehavior.com. If you like this free download, you an find more resource from Autism Classroom News by following them on Facebook or TeachersPayTeachers.
Gastroenterologist Tim Buie shares some ways you can help your child with picky eating the the gastrointestinal problems that can go along with it.
https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2015/10/30/help-autism-related-picky-eating-keeps-teen-constipated
Once you've got an idea of what reinforcement is, you might be wondering why you might use it to help support positive behavior. We all like to be recognized when we've done something right, but this is even more important for kids with autism. When we give encouragement, praise, and reinforcement, we let kids know when they've done a good job. This video explains some reasons why reinforcement is a strategy to consider using.
This video is from Autism Live, which is not affiliated with AutismProblemBehavior.com
Reinforcement is a helpful strategy for encouraging your child's positive behavior. It is also a foundation for the behavior analysis-based strategies that we discuss on this website. I've looked at many YouTube videos on the topic, and this one is one of the most user-friendly I've found. It starts with a technical definition and makes it much easier to understand. If you've been confused by what positive reinforcement is, this is the video for you!
The video above is from Autism Live, which is not affiliated with AutismProblemBehavior.com
The idea behind priming is to preview activities or information with a child before the child participates in that activity.
One main function of using priming is to help a child or adult with autism become more familiar and comfortable with activities that will take place in the future. We give them information about something before it happens. This is a great way to help transition between activities. I often use a strategy called "transition warnings," where you tell the child when you are about to change activities. Sometimes, I see adults abruptly making kids transition to a new activity without telling them about the transition in advance, sometimes taking toys out of their hands without much explanation. Of course, there may be some kids who can handle this. But you're less likely to have problem behavior when you give the child a transition warning. I usually give a 5-minute and a 1-minute warning. I'll gently get my student's attention and say, "In five minutes, we are going to put away the blocks and line up for lunch." I do the same at one minute. You can also use picture schedules, first-then charts, and transition countdowns to help the child know what's coming up with the transition. Here's a quick video with some tips on priming and transitions: |
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